We are a commune of inquiring, skeptical, politically centrist, capitalist, anglophile, traditionalist New England Yankee humans, humanoids, and animals with many interests beyond and above politics. Each of us has had a high-school education (or GED), but all had ADD so didn't pay attention very well, especially the dogs. Each one of us does "try my best to be just like I am," and none of us enjoys working for others, including for Maggie, from whom we receive neither a nickel nor a dime. Freedom from nags, cranks, government, do-gooders, control-freaks and idiots is all that we ask for.

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Thursday, April 30. 2015

"When whites riot, the public rightly labels them as criminals. When blacks riot, the public considers them to be protestors with legitimate grievances. Is this different standard fair? Or is it an example of a new form of racism cloaked in low expectations? Chloe Valdary, a black student at the University of New Orleans, explains."

I do disagree with her about enduring discrimination though. I see more reverse racial discrimination, which is also condescending to blacks.

there is no "reverse discrimination", only discrimination.
If you grant blacks special privileges based on the colour of their skin, you're discriminating against everyone else.
If you do it because you think that without such special treatment they can't compete in society, you're indeed condescending against them if they can, and a realist if they can't.

You are delusional if you think there is no discrimination against blacks. Jim Crow is over, the laws have changed, but men's hearts have not. I still see prejudice and unkind treatment of black people, urban and rural, North and South, on the part of non-black people. And other ethnic types as well, across all races and ethnic groups.

Reverse discrimination is similarly unfortunate and wrong. But given the chance to be changed to a black person for the rest of your life, none of you would take up the offer.

I would not dispute that there is discrimination and racism. I'd say it is much more rarer than it's been in my lifetime. There is still antisemitism, but the difference is that Jews don't use that as an excuse for not advancing and making a success of their life.

As for choosing to be thought of as black, there are many cases of Indians with dark skin who classified themselves as blacks on forms to get in on some of the benefits that are given to blacks such as preferential treatment in hiring and college admissions. In fact recently, an Indian submitted two applications for college that were identical except that on one he described himself as an Indian and had a picture of him with his straight black hair. The other one described him as black and his picture had him with a shaved head. His application as a black was accepted and his application as an Indian was declined.

I expect there is a great deal of discrimination for blacks, and never more so since they have been declared victims incapable of prospering unless whites allow it.

Imagine being a black parent and the struggle you would have convincing your children that they're not victims--how difficult it would be to convince your children that they are both responsible and capable of flourishing.

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